1. Field of the Invention
The invention is generally related to roofing skylights and more specifically to modularly integrated skylights for standing seam roofs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Skylights installed in roofs are widely practiced. In roofs with a standing seam roofing system prior art skylights have been affixed to adjacent roof panels by utilizing the standing seams of those roof panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,680 issued to Weisner et al. on Mar. 17, 1987, discloses a skylight system for a standing seam roof in which plastic skylight sections are formed to have the same width as a standard metal roof panel and shaped to integrate into the standing seam roof in place of a standard metal roof panel between two standing seams. U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,638 issued to Kidd, Jr. et al. on Oct. 3, 1978, discloses a skylight panel where the transparent panel is shaped to clip into the standing rib interface in place of a metal central panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,426 issued to Weisner, et al. on Mar. 15, 1988 discloses a skylight for a barrel tile roof. The skylight is made of plastic and folded along the edges to mate with the standing seams on each side of the skylight. The width of the skylight is the width of an integral number of roof tiles, creating joints at each standing seam.
Other prior art skylights are installed into the flat portion of the roof panel between the standing seams.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,576 issued to Gumpert et al. on Jun. 28, 1994, discloses a skylight system for use on metal standing seam roofs. The skylight is curbless and integrates into the flat metal panel between two adjacent standing seams. The roof panel is cut and the edges are folded back to form a lip over which a bubble-shaped covering is placed and sealed. In this manner, material is shed off the roof between the two standing seams and able to flow past the skylight.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,051 issued to Weisner et al. on Jul. 18, 1989, discloses a low profile skylight for a shingled sloping roof with a unitary rectangular frame having an upstanding standing seam element along each longitudinal edge. Head and sill flashings are provided to seal the remaining perimeter of the skylight.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,511 issued to Weisner et al. on Aug. 29, 1989, discloses a curbless skylight having a central dome and a pair of standing seam edges suitable for installation in a metal standing seam roof, wherein the standing seam edges are joined to adjacent metal standing, seams with the same covered by battens.
It would be an improvement to the field to provide a skylight for standing seam roofs that spans across at least one standing seam, and integrated into a section of the standing seam panels, so as to be installed into the roof as a unitary component. It would be an improvement to the field to have the skylight assembly match the color of the metal standing seam roof.